Umar Gul bursts into tears revealing reason for retirement. Umar Gul was one of the best pacers to ever represent Pakistan.
Umar Gul ended his illustrious playing career after 237 international appearances for Pakistan. He recently broke down in tears while revealing the true reason for his retirement.
In a recent interview with A Sports, he revealed that the passing of his best friend, Kaleem, was the reason he said goodbye to the beautiful sport. Gul stated that Kaleem died in a traffic accident two days before Eid during the first year of the pandemic. The right-arm pacer claimed that his bond with his deceased friend was unique, and that he could tell what was going on in his heart simply by looking at him.
Gul also revealed that he used to travel to Karachi solely to meet Kaleem. Following the latter’s untimely death, Gul decided to retire his boots. The 40-year-old revealed that even his wife was unaware of the true reason for his retirement.
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Umar Gul’s career in numbers
On April 3, 2003, the Peshawar native made his international debut against Zimbabwe in an ODI at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Gul went on to play 130 ODIs, taking 179 wickets with an average of 29.36 and a strike rate of 33.88. He also scored two five-wicket hauls in international 50-over cricket.
Gul received his first Test cap four months after his ODI debut, in a match against Bangladesh. In 47 Tests, he took 163 wickets at 34.07 average and 58.89 strike rate. He took four five-wicket hauls during his red-ball career.
In the game’s shortest format, Gul was one of the best bowlers of his time. He played 60 T20Is, taking 85 wickets at an average of 16.96 and a strike rate of 14.15. He also scored two five-wicket hauls in the format. Gul emerged as the leading wicket-taker in Pakistan’s successful T20 World Cup 2009 campaign, taking 13 wickets in seven games at 12.15.
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